Recruiters Messaging Candidates (Survey Results)

Talent Retriever surveyed over 350 working professionals in our candidate network to uncover their preferences and motivators when being messaged by recruiters on LinkedIn.

When are you more likely to respond to a recruiter on LinkedIn?

49% during regular business hours and 51% at night or during the weekend

When do you expect to hear back from a recruiter after you’ve asked to learn more about their opportunity?

6% within the hour, 73% within 24 hours, 16% within 2-3 days

Key Takeaway – Time kills deals! Candidates want a response within 24 hours. And they are just as likely to respond to a recruiter during “off-hours” as they are during the week. By giving a quick response saying “Hey – I got your message, looking forward to connecting with you tomorrow (or Monday) to share more details” it can go a long way with building rapport.

Are you more likely to read a LinkedIn Message from a recruiter on your mobile device or desktop?

70% say mobile device, 30% say desktop

Key takeaway – Keep it simple: messages should be under 500 characters. Present value in concise amount of words and pique interest. Even a 150 word message could require the reader to have to scroll through it on their mobile device. The more they have to scroll the less likely they will read.

What most often drives you to open a recruiter’s message?

• 45% – subject line,
• 33% -company name,
• 14% – timing of the message

Key Takeaway – Don’t make the subject line generic! It’s what drives opens. “Job Opportunity in Boston!” – that’s not going to cut it. Think outside the box, try something cheeky (puns go a long way), ask a question, or mention something related to the time of the year or recent event.

Typically, what is the main reason you would choose not to reply to a recruiter on LinkedIn?

• 49% – Message isn’t relevant to me
• 12% – Simply not interested
• 11% – Message isn’t personalized
• 10% – Not enough info about the job
• 6% – Message is too long/not well written
• 5% – I am flooded with too many messages

Key Takeaway – Before reaching out – make sure your message is relevant. Double check that the candidate’s LinkedIn profile aligns with what you’re looking for. Keep an eye out for things like level of experience, the type of work they’re doing and their location.

This survey data is brought to you by Talent Retriever – We’re the team to find your talent